Only stairs to reach the feet of Christ the Redeemer statue
We have updated this post.
The elevators and escalators to the statue of Christ the Redeemer, one of the symbols of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, stopped working after a strong storm that hit the city on April 8 and 9, 2019. This means that in order to get to the monument, visitors need to climb a 220-step staircase, a difficult path for the elderly and disabled.
According to the Tijuca National Park, the organization responsible for the access to the monument, the stairs and elevators were turned off as a precaution measure. The storm may have caused some problems in the electrical installations, so the park administration awaits a new technical inspection to allow their use. At the moment, the problem is that this situation has already extended for more than a month and there is not a specific date for them to be back in operation.
The access to the upper part of the Corcovado mountain is made by a train or a car, and both of them can only reach up to a certain point of the road. From there on, and up to the feet of the statue, the access is only made by the conventional staircase, escalators or elevators – the last two installed in 2003 and at the moment, out of service.
The Christ the Redeemer, inaugurated in 1931, is considered the most important tourist attraction in Rio. It receives about 3 million visitors per year. The monument has the title of one of the New Seven Wonders of the Modern World.